Academy Days
by BoxingBunny
Summary: Both living their afterlife, Kagome and Ichigo stumble upon one another and soon learn that baby steps are a good way to start not only in training but in life. ON HIATUS UNTIL JANUARY 2013
1. Prologue

AN: The idea for this story belongs to my boyfriend. He wanted me to make sure that I mentioned that.

Disclaimer: I don't own, please don't sue!

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Academy Days

Prologue

This was stupid. It was absolutely ridiculous! Had the Captain-Commander lost his mind?! Ichigo Kurosaki, dead at age twenty-two due to a car crash of all things, had done many things in his living years. He'd gained the powers of a shinigami, made some interesting friends, lost said powers while almost dying, gained his own set of powers (once again almost dying in the process), and gone to the world of the dead called Soul Society. There, he'd battled for the lives of his friends as well as his own, gotten caught up in a conspiracy that would be a constant headache for the next couple of years, and gone on more side adventures than he could ever count.

All the while he'd grown stronger. He'd started at a level that would have barely ranked in the Court Guard Squads, but now he could take on the strongest Captains and match them blow-for-blow in a fight. Ichigo had definitely come a long way.

He knew that he would be made a member of one of the squads in the afterlife. He had expected—with his strength, experience, and everything he'd done for Soul Society—that he would be placed directly into one of the squads once he crossed over. He wouldn't have been surprised if they had given him a seated position from the beginning.

But what Ichigo had _not_ been expecting was to be told that he would have to enroll into the Shinigami Academy on his own and pass the courses as everyone else had done. According to the higher-ups, there was still a lot that he needed to learn not only about his own power but the general laws and regulations of Soul Society.

So now Ichigo stood in front of the entrance doors dressed in the traditional male academy uniform of blue hakamas, a white haori with the school's insignia, and the usual socks and sandals. With a scowl also in place, the other students were giving him plenty of space as they warily made their way into the building.

He felt like an idiot. He had to reside in the academy's dormitory, leave Zangetsu in his room along with his regular shinigami uniform, and let's not forget to mention that it had taken him four tries before he was able to pass all portions of the entrance exam. Right now he was just thanking whatever deity that existed that none of the shinigami he knew had come to tease him…yet. Ichigo knew that it would happen eventually, it was just a question of when.

The fiery-haired man was so engrossed in his thoughts of graduating in record time that he never noticed as a young woman with long ebony hair, a bounce in her step, and a tune in her heart brushed right past him.

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Orientation had been beyond boring, but he'd fought the urge to nap in the large lecture hall as he was sure that he could feel Genryusai's eyes on him. After their orientation, everyone had broken up into different assigned groups to receive their class schedule and a map of the academy buildings.

It appeared that the first day of class for shinigami was exactly the same as the first day of class for human high school students. The teacher gave you a book for the class, explained what would be expected of you within the course, and answered any questions that new students may have.

Ichigo always tried to grab a seat towards the back of the classroom. He wanted to draw as little attention as possible. While it would be easy to show off in some classes, he didn't want to be _that_ student and definitely didn't want to be the topic of any more gossip than he already was. His hair color and spirit energy weren't something easily overlooked in a sea of budding shinigami whose spirit energy was just beginning to really take shape.

All in all, it had been an average first day. But somehow that only made the situation all the more annoying.

He wandered down the hallways with every intention of leaving for the day and finding Renji or Rukia to see if they wanted to get something to eat with him (after changing clothes first, of course). He wasn't really paying attention to where he was going as the other students had given him at least five feet in each direction for most of the day, and this caused him to vaguely wonder if any of them knew who he was. But his thoughts were cut short when he bumped into something small and…soft?

The impact was enough to disturb his balance only slightly, but he could tell that it had caused whoever he'd run into to fall due to the small whine of "Ouch…" that came from the floor in front of him.

When he looked down there was indeed a dark haired young woman sitting on the ground rubbing her sore bottom in the middle of many scattered papers and books. And being the chivalrous guy that he was, he was instantly in the floor helping to collect the papers that he'd scattered. It seemed that Tatsuki had been able to beat some manners into him after all.

"Are you okay?" He asked his tone deep but soft.

When the woman finally looked up to address him, Ichigo was caught off guard by the incredibly vivid blue that greeted him.

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It was the first day of classes for Kagome's third year at the Shinigami Academy. She'd passed the required core classes some time ago, and now she only stayed to take some extra classes to further advance her abilities in a safe environment. It wasn't that she was afraid of fighting in the fields with her comrades, she just wasn't confident that she had a firm grasp on her powers yet. The last thing that she wanted was to injure an innocent person who had just happened to get a little too close.

Since the cursed jewel had been returned to her body before her death three years ago, it had also been brought into the afterlife with her soul to wait until she was reborn again…whenever that might be. The jewel boosted her spiritual energy and powers considerably now that her soul wasn't bound by her living body's physical limitations, but if she ever got carried away or a too excited about something, her powers tended to run away with her. There hadn't been any serious injuries or damages yet, but she knew that there was always the chance.

Now, as she learned more about controlling the power she held, Kagome had also fallen into the role of what one might call a "teacher's aide" when they needed errands taken care of, messages delivered, had too many students who needed extra help, or on occasion even needed someone to cover one of the first-year classes.

Today she had gone to the library to check out some books and look up some notes for one of the teacher's lectures while they introduced themselves to their classes. The same classes that were now ending for the day.

Kagome was having a little trouble balancing everything as she made her way down one of the halls and had stopped paying attention to where she was going for a moment. And that moment was all that was needed for her to run directly into a firm, muscular chest.

She grunted and let out a small hiss of pain as her butt made contact with the hardwood floor. She didn't hear another body landing on the ground so it seemed that the person she'd run into had been able to keep their balance. Some people got all the luck.

As she rubbed her rear in a pathetic attempt to make the pain go away, she heard a man's voice gently ask, "Are you okay?"

Kagome brought her eyes up to lock with one of her fellow student's and was greeted with a set of deep brown orbs. It was a fairly common color, but his eyes reminded her of warm chocolate and made her want to smile. "I'm fine. Sorry about running into you though." She apologized.

"No problem. Here's you papers," he stated as he pulled her to her feet and handed over the sloppy stack.

"Thank you," she beamed while accepting his help. As if the thought had only just struck her, Kagome situated the papers in her arms and extended her right hand while saying, "I'm Kagome Higurashi by the way."

"Ichigo Kurosaki," he returned with an awkward smile as he accepted the handshake.

And this was how one Ichigo Kurosaki (age twenty-two at death) met one Kagome Higurashi (age eighteen at death) and their story began…

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AN: I know it's another that wasn't on the voting list, but that list is to get me to focus on one thing and actually finish a chapter once Why Guys Like Girls is finished. The idea for this came about while my boyfriend and I were watching the third Bleach movie (Fade to Black) and he pointed out that it would be funny to see Ichigo through the actual shinigami classes and learn kidou and whatnot instead of just strength-based attacks. So the idea is basically his, but the idea to make it a crossover and everything else is mine. I also know that it was pretty short, but it's just the prologue so no worries. Ichigo/Kagome isn't one of my top favorites, but I do like it and it seemed to work best for this story. I hope you enjoyed! Be sure to let me know what you think! Until next time!


	2. Chapter 1

AN: I'm glad you guys liked the prologue to my little story! From everything I've gotten back on the prologue I think this might grow to be one of my more popular stories :D So thank you to everyone who has reviewed, alerted, and favorited. (And yes, I know that "favorited" isn't actually a word.) I hope you enjoy the new chapter just as much!

Disclaimer: I don't own, please don't sue!

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Chapter 1

Ichigo walked the halls on his way to his next class and let his mind wander. The other students were gradually coming to accept being around him. As he began to talk to others he found out that most of them did recognize him from various places around Soul Society. And even if they weren't trained to look for it yet, they could still feel his spirit pressure that was so much greater than theirs.

He tried asking some of the students that were ahead of him if they knew of Kagome Higurashi, a petite girl with black hair and blue eyes, but the answers he received left him a little puzzled.

A couple of people had frowned and responded, "Oh, her…"

Some guys had told him "Don't bother."

There was even one girl who had scowled a little at the mention of Kagome's name and told him "For your sake, stay away from that one."

He hadn't seen Kagome much since they'd run into each other in the hall when the term had just started. There were a few times that she had waved at him in the halls as they passed each other and he would spot her occasionally in the classrooms as she helped the different teachers, but those were the only times that he'd seen her.

As he thought about it a little longer, he realized that they hadn't even talked for very long when they first met. After their introduction, they'd made small talk as they walked to the front entrance of the building; he saying that he was a first-year student, she saying she was a third-year who helped teachers when they needed it. But that had been about it. And he couldn't find out anything from the other students.

Ichigo felt like he was missing something big, but it didn't look like anyone was going to tell him was it was. He would have asked Kagome himself but on the rare occasions that they saw each other they were both rushing to be where they needed to be at the time.

It wasn't until about two months after their initial meeting that Ichigo saw Kagome in more than just a passing glance. His kidou class was going out to the practice field to put what they had been learning into use, but when he stepped outside his eyes were drawn to the small woman standing next to their teacher. She was wearing the traditional girl's academy uniform and had her hands clasped in front of her with a kind smile on her face. When her eyes met his she seemed to brighten as he smile grew and she gave him a small wave. Some of the other male students turned to give him questioning looks about the pretty girl waving at him.

As they took their seated positions on the polished wood, their teacher addressed them. "Today you are going to attempt kidou for the first time. Don't get discouraged if you don't get it right on the first try. That's why you're taking the class, after all." The young teacher chuckled deeply at his personal joke but began speaking again when he noticed that he was the only one laughing. "I'm sure most of you have seen Higurashi around the buildings and in some of your other classes. She's here to provide extra help to those who need it among other things."

Kagome waved at the class causing some of the males to blush lightly.

"Line up and today we'll concentrate on what we talked about in class last time; Hadou Four: White Lightning," the teacher instructed.

Ichigo watched as Kagome helped people with their stances or corrected a line of the incantation. She was always a gentle hand of reassurance when the attack didn't go right and seemed to truly be in her element helping others. He just couldn't understand why he had gotten the negative reactions from the other students when he asked about her.

But he had to clear his mind when his turn finally came and he stepped into place. Glancing to Kagome once out of the corner of his eye, Ichigo recited the incantation from memory and gathered his power in his hands. But when the power suddenly surged and literally blew up in his face, Ichigo knew that he would need some work. When he looked up from his position on the ground where the blast had landed him, he noticed a worried pair of blue eyes looking him over.

Kagome was on her knees next to Ichigo's prone form searching for any injuries that needed to be healed. She watched as he opened his eyes to stare at her as she checked him over. There were small burn marks on his arm, but her attention was drawn to his head where he had hit it in his fall and where most of the blast had been concentrated. Her hands began to glow a light blue as she brought them to the back of his head and the side of his face. "Does anything hurt?" She asked.

Ichigo blinked a couple of times as he got used to the cool sensations that her hands were giving him before he answered, "No, I'll be fine." He brushed her hands away and sat up before pushing himself to his feet.

Kagome watched him stand on shaky feet for a moment before he steadied himself and seemed to return to normal. He walked to where the other students were standing as a few of the guys teased him about his attempt. But a light blush stained her cheeks when Ichigo glanced over his shoulder to see her still sitting on the ground.

She quickly stood and excused herself from the rest of the class saying that she needed to prepare some lecture notes for another teacher before the next day.

When she had made it back into the building and several feet down the hallway, Kagome slowed her pace and thought about what had happened. It had been some time since she'd gotten butterflies in her stomach around a man, but there was no denying that Ichigo Kurosaki got them to fluttering.

Sure, she had been around plenty of tall, dark, and handsome men in her life and afterlife, but there was something else about Ichigo that made her heart flutter and her stomach twist. His presence was commanding and his chocolate gaze always seemed so intense. Each time that he looked at her, Kagome could feel her mouth go dry.

"Come on, Kagome," she told herself. "He may be handsome and intense…and tall…and tan…and smell really nice…" Kagome had to shake herself from her thoughts there as another blush crept up to her cheeks. "But what's going to happen when he finds out about _it_? The same thing that always happens; he'll stay as far away as humanly possible."

Kagome sighed and continued to walk down the hallway towards her private dormitory room. "But…maybe it wouldn't be so bad to try to get to know him before that happens," she thought aloud as a small smile bloomed on her face.

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AN: Okay, fairly short chapter. But the more I think about this story, the more I think that all of the chapters will only be a few pages long. They'll pretty much just be the small moments that Kagome and Ichigo share :] This chapter is yet another in my mass-update that I'm planning! As of right now I have three stories that are getting updated, and a new crossover that I'm going to post. It's an Inuyasha/Criminal Minds crossover which is going to be interesting, I think. Yes, shameless self-promotion…I'm guilty. Anyway, let me know what you think of the new chapter and thanks for reading!


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